Social farming project in South Offaly offering many benefits for mental wellbeing

BIRR Community Mental Health Team is well established in Birr town. The team's centre is located on Wilmer Road, beside the library, and some locals still remember being pupils there when it was a secondary school.
Ethna Carroll, Senior Occupational Therapist in the centre, points out that with more awareness and understanding of the subject of mental wellbeing, treatment options and supports have increased with the aim of reducing barriers and stigma. Ethna says that one in four people will have a mental health experience at some stage in their life. Not only does it impact on the individual but also their families and loved ones. For this reason, treatment does not just incorporate taking medication, but entails a recovery orientated approach.
Birr Community Mental Health Team is multi-disciplinary, with a mix of health care professionals who work closely together.
One of the things which the team runs is Social Farming Placements which have proved very beneficial for the participants.
Here is a short article, written by Marcel Sarnecki, who completed a Social farming placement earlier this year on Colette Clarke’s farm in Coolderry:
“In this article I would like to share with you my positive experience with social farming. To start you need to know what it is. Social farming involves providing outcome-based support placements on a family farm, using the natural resources of the farm such as the environment, community and activities to help a person achieve some of their chosen goals. It serves a wide range of people with many different needs. For more information visit https://www.socialfarmingireland.ie
I first heard about social farming from my occupational therapist, Ethna Carroll. The first thing that stood out for me was the fact that it was a “hands on” placement. Instead of the traditional therapy sessions, the focus was on engaging in useful farm activities and casual conversations about non mental health topics.
The structure of the placement was partly predictable, which made it easy to prepare for. We did various outdoor activities such as planting and digging to indoor activities such as cooking, baking and art. The placement was also quite educational in many aspects, with the people in the team learning from one another.
I found that the therapeutic aspects of meaningful work had a positive impact on my mental health. Social Farming has provided me with a sense of purpose and usefulness. Furthermore, the feeling of both being needed and connected to the group have been instrumental while on my recovery journey. For me social farming means being part of a team and enjoying the work we complete together.
Social farming has helped me gain my confidence back and my mental health has considerably improved. As such I recommend it to anybody who is going through a mental health challenge of their own. It can lay the groundwork for feeling useful and hopeful again and it will empower you to rebuild or reclaim your life.”